Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

ehammond1

California

3.7/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

Cask

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

Amber and copper with a hugely foaming, thick, persistent light khaki colored head that leaves the glass messy with chunks of thick lace.

Mild though pleasant aroma of simple grain and mild pine hop presence.

The flavor is nice, though not at all aggressive. The grain and bread flavors are dominant, with mild pine and just a hint of rye.

Medium bodied with a creamy mouthfeel. I have always loved the way Sierra Nevada beers feel in the mouth, and the cask only accentuates that here.

A decent rye IPA, but I don't really feel the need to revisit this one anytime soon.

Serving type: cask

04-07-2012 03:40:44 | More by ehammond1

ThePortlander

New York

4.9/5  rDev +25.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

So, I normally love Ruthless. As far as I'm concerned this is a brilliant addition to the SN lineup, and a classic in its own right. In the cask, however, I LOVE this IPA! I had it at Bierkraft in Brooklyn, and was simply blown away by everything from the appearance to the taste. The light carbonation enhanced the malt flavors, and boosted the mouthfeel giving this Ruthless a bigger presence. Amazing.

Serving type: cask

04-05-2012 02:31:04 | More by ThePortlander

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on cask at Mugs Alehouse in Brooklyn, NY

A: Pours a slightly hazy golden amber with a finger tall light beige head. The head reduces to an extremely thin ring at the edges of the glass only. No lacing is observed.

S: Some spicy aromas from the rye (like hints of pepper) along with pine resin and citrus hops.

T: Slightly malty sweet (maybe caramel and pale) upfront that is quickly followed by the rye spiciness. There is some hint of pine resin from the hops but this beer has a nice lingering bitterness and spiciness.

M: Medium bodied with light amounts of carbonation.

O: Really a very nice beer and one that I will enjoy a few more times this year while it is available in the area. I'm a fan of the rye spiciness with the IPA hops.

Serving type: cask

03-12-2012 14:25:41 | More by dbrauneis

Redrover

Illinois

4.01/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at the Mellow Mushroom is Jacksonville Beach. It was served in a standard pint glass and the beer is brassy dark amber. There is a very sticky beige head.

It has a pleasant aroma of spicy rye, sweet malts and some pine.

The taste leads with a bit of pine resin and subtle peppery rye and caramel malts. Beer is well balanced with a lot of nice facets.

The mouth is semi-thick and a bit oily. It is coating.

This is a nice rye beer. Well done!

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2013 17:19:01 | More by Redrover

watermelonman

California

3.68/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pouring to a deep gold amber, this looks great in glass with moderate head and lace. Mild carbonation keeps up throughout.

Citrus hops and rye dominate the smell, and in taste are joined by barely enough caramel malt to give body and balance. The flavors I want and love in a rye pale are a little flat and flimsy, especially considering the lighter mouthfeel, but in terms of a balanced IPA this is as well done as any. The spicy taste of rye is apparent but I usually want more body to back it. The finish is clean and lightly bitter.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 05:10:20 | More by watermelonman

tittymcj

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Drank at a bar in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Good looking beer. Nice and frothy, lots of head. Solid color and clarity.

Very smooth, if I remember correctly. Not a lot of bite, but not overbearing with the malty flavors. Very well balanced.

I'd recommend for being a good beer, but not particularly impressive on any front.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2013 13:51:53 | More by tittymcj

BeerAficionadoMCMXC

California

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

This beer always gives me the knarliest farts. They fucking stink too. The beer's good, and the 6.6% always leaves my liver working hard to make me sober enough to work the next morning. I like the fact that I can drink a bunch of it, fart enough to make my domain a gas chamber, then wake up and walk out of the room without noticing the deadly smell that the beer gave me. It leaves a chalky hungover taste in your mouth after you drink 10 and wake up without brushing your teeth, but that's the life of a true alcoholic. An alcoholic's beer if the ABV were a touch higher and the farts were a bit stinkier.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 07:33:05 | More by BeerAficionadoMCMXC

BeerRefugee

Oklahoma

3.44/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light copper color. Moderate off-white head with good retention and moderate lacing. Medium rye and herbal hops in the aroma. Flavor is mild caramel malt, grassy and piney hops and a moderate dose of rye. The spiciness of the rye and bitterness of the hops predominate--I would have liked a bit more malt for some sweetness and balance. This is a beer that couldn't really decide what it wants to be--it needs more hops and rye to be a really aggressive rye IPA. Or it needs more caramel sweetness to be a more "mainstream" beer. Instead, they split the difference and the result, while good, is not as good as it could have been.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 21:05:43 | More by BeerRefugee

mpedara429

Massachusetts

3.23/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured out a clear, coppery color that appeared a bit burnished. Two fingers of pale yellow head. Good retention and lacing that draped along the sides of the glass.

S: Not overwhelming here. A little bit of floral hops and grapefruit with a predominant lame yeast smell.

T: Flavor is heavy on floral hops and dank pine. A hint of grapefruit and a spicy kick on the finish. The initial taste is on the bitter side, but the malt body shows up just enough to give it some balance.

M: Pretty typical medium body with medium carbonation. A little stickiness.

O: Pretty much what I would expect from a Sierra Nevada beer. It's a middle of the road beer that seems like it is being held back from greatness. Some more hop flavor and aroma would make this beer top notch.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 23:57:06 | More by mpedara429

JG-90

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into glass gives a large, creamy, tan head. Beer is amber/copper with hints of red, gold, and brown. Head settles down to a small, slightly rocky cap, before falling to a film on top with heavy lacing. Smells of peppery rye, licorice, and a touch of light caramel malt, and just a hint of resin. Not getting much IPA/hoppy nose here.

Taste follows the nose, too my slight dissapointment. Getting a good deal of great rye flavors, but missing the hops/citrus expected from a SN IPA. There is a bit of a citrus/resinous finish however. Mouthfeel is just a bit lighter than heavy, with medium/high carbonation, just the right amount of chewiness. In my opinion a very good beer, but not as much flavor as hoped on the IPA side of things.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 23:59:13 | More by JG-90

argock

Virginia

3.95/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz brown bottle into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint glass. Typical SN obscure dating. 6-pack purchased at Kroger (Charlottesville) for $7.29.

A: Very clear copper with 1-2 fingers of big-bubbled, ivory head with good stickiness and craggy lacing all down the glass.

S: Spicy and slightly dirty rye with citrus and pine hoppiness dominate the aroma

T: The flavor is really interesting and smooth with moderate bitterness. The spicy rye from the aroma slides elegantly into the herbal, honeysuckle character of the hopping, which is moderately floral but also pretty complex with resin, pine, orange and lemon citrus, and earthy components. The maltiness has a slight amount of light-to-medium crystal malt sweetness which works pretty well with the herbal, earthy hops and rye notes.

M: Smooth and moderately carbonated. Body is light-to-medium with a good tacky quality.

O: A really nice beer from SN (again). While it isn't a beer of the year candidate, it is very good and has plenty of complexity and subtlety built into the the hopping to keep it interesting. SN is masterful at providing a balanced yet interesting brew. This fits that bill very well.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 04:34:30 | More by argock

Noxious26

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.09/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle poured in a pint glass. Got this one in Hawaii in Feb but just getting around to reviewing.

Big beige 1 inch head on the pour with lots of sticky lacing. Nice copper orange amber colour and a little hazy.

Aroma is nicely balanced between hops and malt. Citrusy, sweet, a little flowery and some caramel,

Well balanced flavour of malt with caramel and citrusy hops with a bit of spicy rye bite. Really enjoyable.

Medium bodied and smooth but the rye gets to me after a while. Reallly enjoyed these on a nice warm evening on oahu in february.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 00:25:05 | More by Noxious26

GossageBrewery

Missouri

3.51/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured this American IPA from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Poured a clear copper color, produced a very nice off white head, great retention and it left a very nice amount of lacing on the glass. The aroma consisted of spicy rye and piney hops. Medium in body, the foundation of this ale consisted of spicy rye and a decent amount of earthy hops. Overall the balance is a bit off, more spicy rye then bitter hops but a decent example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 21:33:55 | More by GossageBrewery

tjsdomer2

Illinois

3.56/5  rDev -9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Ruby red with excellent foam and lacing.

Smell: Rye and black pepper. It could have been a bit stronger for me.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Rye and a hint of licorice. Thick mouthfeel that falls flat. Very syrupy.

Overall Drinkability: Not my favoriate rye, nor my favorite Sierra Nevada.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 02:39:16 | More by tjsdomer2

MisSigsFan

California

4.09/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pours a golden/dark orange color with a frothy white head. Leaves a ton of lacing. Smells of citrus, a lot of lemon in there, and grain. Mouthfeel is similar, but the rye is very pronounced. A bit of spiciness in the finish. Overall, a pretty good IPA, but not even near the best out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 22:56:20 | More by MisSigsFan

CookstLiquor

British Columbia (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 355ml bottle. Pours a brownish orange colour. (Tasting notes aside, this has a really striking label.) The nose is an interesting mix of bright citrus fruits like tangerine and lemon and grain. The rye really comes through on the palate. There's a strong dark rye bread flavour with some citrus notes and a spicy,hoppy finish. Good carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 20:38:51 | More by CookstLiquor

rgs0204

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Appearance - Clear, dark orange body that sparkles like champagne with a fizzy white head that disappears quickly.

Smell - hops and more hops, light malt, citrus, and a touch of pepper.

Taste - Initial taste is lightly acidic with a light sweetness, but the finish is long and heavy, with a bearable bitter flavor reminding you that this is an IPA not a pale ale.

Mouthfeel - Fully body, smooth with a dry light fizz. The finish is chalky making the bitter finish sort of sit in the back of your throat.

Overall - This is a nice IPA to welcome the transition from Winter to Spring. There is little to no floral hints and the bitterness that is expected with big IPAs is hidden in the finish...but it is there. This is a very drinkable IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 02:49:32 | More by rgs0204

HerculesRM

South Carolina

3.79/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Smells clean, subtle fresh cut pine. The tastes up front are nice piney bitters. The secondary flavours are booze, passion fruit and red currants. Beautiful red/copper colour with a thin white head. Refreshing and interesting. Well done, Mr. Grossman!

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 23:17:57 | More by HerculesRM

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Beer is amber with a bit of an orange tinge. Moderately-sized beige head. Pretty good retention.

Nose contains rye, caramel and citrus hops. Nice but a bit faint.

Taste contains caramel. spicy rye, pepper, fruit hops. Some grapefruit and orange.

Medium bodied, highly carbonated. Too carbonated for my tastes, but a good body. Chewy.

Overall, pretty good. I like the rye but the hops could be a bit more flavourful.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 01:28:59 | More by jrenihan

Steamer

Missouri

3.81/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Very nice light amber color with a full-on cream colored head. Full hops and rye aroma with pine and lime overtones. The potency of the hops flavor is a tamer than some other IPAs, more citrusy, but still very good. Medium carbonation and mouthfeel. Overall: a good, not so complex IPA that would be a great option for someone getting their taste buds acquainted with hops forward brews at the next step up from a strong amber ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 02:17:45 | More by Steamer

roundthewaygirls

Virginia

3.6/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

poured into a tulip glass

A: burnt sienna color. ruby shine when held up to the light. complex color. hazy. carbonation. a finger of frothy head quickly dissipates. nice lacing. (nice bottle art as well. reaping the harvest. shit is deep.)

S: the rye has a robust presence, balanced with citrus notes. something at the bottom is slightly resinous or woody.

T: the rye is very well blended with the citrus malts. the malts aren't particularly discernible but they compensate for the dryness of the rye. the effect is very refreshing. peppery. hops on the finish. well balanced.

M: medium bodied. moderately carbonated. refreshing. crisp going down.

O: when i saw this beer, i knew i would have to compare it with founders red's rye pa. while not as bold or original, this beer is completely satisfying and refreshing. the substitution of rye for predominant hops separates this beer from any other sierra nevada beer i've had.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 23:47:15 | More by roundthewaygirls

paulytasker

New York

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured out of a 12oz. bottle into a pint glass

A- Poured a striking, bold amber. If there were such a thing as liquid rust, this would be what it would look like. Eye candy!

S- Nothing overwhelming or dominant. Pick up some toasty malts. A combo of peppery and piney notes. The Rye is noticeable but blended well with some faint citrusy hops. All in all pleasant to the nose but not outstanding.

T- Bitter hops far more noticeable on the palate than in the nose. Fairly inexperienced with Rye beers, but I am finding the spicy blend of Rye and Malts to be just what it needs to be, great balance. Very faint citrusy blend sifts through, as well as a good amount of caramel.

M- Body is light/medium, and quite smooth. Finishes a little on the dry side with a lingering peppery bitterness. A pretty easy brew to drink.

O- As earlier mentioned, not too well versed in this style, but what I found here was a brew with a decent amount of complexity with some pretty damn good flavor. Great balance and another fine brew from Sierra Nevada. Any hophead not familiar with rye forward beers looking to switch things up a little should give this a try. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 01:16:05 | More by paulytasker

thlayli87

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

A - Amber-orange with two fingers of foamy head. Lacing forms in rings as head recedes.

S - Grainy malt, pine resin, spiciness. Very fragrant.

T - Piney hops, spicy rye, slight pleasant alcohol warming sensation, lingering bitterness.

M - Light to medium body, lively carbonation.

O - Refreshing, drinkable, and a good representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 01:08:21 | More by thlayli87

Roman5150

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

bottle into pint glass

smell: piney, malty, resiny, bready... great smelling beer

appearance: amber with a slightly off white 2 finger head

taste: malt seems to take priority over hops, rye is present. I would describe this as a Kölsch meets a west coast IPA. Slight floral notes, with some caramel, but its the rye that creates a bready smooth aftertaste, not all that bitter. very refreshing.

mouthfeel: not overly carbonated, very smooth

overall: This may be one of my favorite Sierra Nevada's, it's very refreshing and smooth. This is a very unique "IPA"; The hops don't overwhelm, but neither does the malt or rye, everything is balanced. I will be buying this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 03:37:17 | More by Roman5150

Pegasus

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Appearance: Clear, deep reddish-amber body, with a huge, dense and fine-beaded cream-colored head, which retains quite well. The ethereal carbonation drifts slowly to the surface.

Aroma: Prominent, spicy rye and grapefruit hops utterly dominate the aroma. There are grassy notes as well, which are rather understated.

Taste: Opens with a surge of strong citrus hops and spicy rye. Mild pepper notes are present as well. As the taste progresses, some bread flavors appear. Finishes with a lingering, strong medicinal bitterness at the back of the mouth.

Mouth feel: Smooth, rich, soft, and quite full.

Drinkability/notes: The citrus hops utterly dominate this beer, overshadowing the spicy qualities of the rye. Would be more interesting with a slightly less heavy-handed approach to the hops.

Presentation: Packaged in a stubby twelve-ounce brown glass bottle with a pry-off crown, served in a New Belgium Brewing chalice.

Source: Purchased at Wal-Mart in Texas as a selection of a Brewmaster's Choice build-your-own six-pack for $8.99.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 23:53:11 | More by Pegasus